Closet-flushing apparatus.



GRAHAM. GLOSET FLUSHING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED APR.19, 1909.

Patented Feb 24, 1914.

W w j WASH lNToN. Dy C.

WILLIAM SYDNEY GRAHAM, OF CHICAGO,

ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR T FEDERALI-IUBER COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ACORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

CLOSET-FLUSHING APPARATUS.

Specification 'of Letters Patent.

Application filed April 19, 1909.

lvlatented Feb. 24C, 1914. Serial No. 496,806.

To all whom t may concern ,l

Be it known that I, VILLIAM SYDNEY] (limitait, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State ofIllinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Closet-Flushing .ilrpparatus of which the following is a description. referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, which forms a part of myspecification.

This invention relates to a novel construction in a closet flushingapparatus, the object bein to provide a device of this character whichis simple in construction, that may be easily operated, and that will bel etticient, and noiseless in operation; and conl siste in features ofconstruction and combil nations of parts hereafter' set forth. f

ln the drawing Figure l is a fragmentary central vertical section of acloset flushing apparatus constructed in accordance with my invention,showing the valve closed or in the position the apparatus occupiesbefore the same is operated. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the valvein its open position.

In all closet flushing apparatus in which the water iiows by gravityfrom a tank, a minimum water level is maintained in the tank, that isthe tank is never entirely drained because the flow of water therefromis interrupted by the closing of the outlet valve or breaking of thesiphon before complete drainage. '.iherefore, in construction of thatclass, in order to provide a four gallon flush, for example, a tank ofconsiderably greater capacity must be provided.

(verhead tanks are usually operated by means of a depending chain or itsequivalent which is easily broken and is also undesirable; andfurthermore, overhead gravity tanks are usually more or less noisy.

lily invention has for its object to provide flushing apparatusincluding an overhead tank which will be noiseless in its operationbecause of the fact that there will be no siphons to break, nor` willthere be any pounding of valves; that will cause complete i drainage ofthe tank; that is easily and conveniently operated by means of a pushbutton, and is less expensive than the valve l mechanism ordinarilyprovided for over head gravity flush tanks; and will enable a smallertank to be used than is true with a sartene-J. y

My invention consists in interposing a valve in the outlet pipe leadingfrom the Hush-tank or other source of supply to the closet bowl, tocontrol the flow through the pipe: the valve being normally closed andso constructed that when raised from its seat it will be maintained inthe raised position bythe pressure of the 'atei' flowing through thepipe, and close automatically when the liow of water ceases.

In the drawing, A indicates a flush tank and ll the pipe connecting' thetank with a closet bowl. ,interposed between the ends of the pipe l5 a*nivo-casing which is bulged between its ends and consists preferably ofan upper portion (l and lower portion D secured together at the point ofgreatest dij ameter.

Mounted within the valve-casing is an inverted cup or hood E having acylindrical mouth portion and provided in its conical upper wall with acentral opening F. The open or mouth-end of the cup is secured to a ringr by means of radial arms H, said ring being confined between theopposed edges of the two parts C and D of said casing thus supportingsaid cup centrally within the casing. The member E is also preferablyprovided with an opening E located at the point indicated, so that whenthe valve J' is lifted, as shown in Fig. 2, the flange of the valvecloses off this opening.

ln the bottom of the member D of the case ing and extending preferablyslightly above the lower' most portion of the casing, as clearly shownin the drawing, is a valve-seat I on which the valve J seats; the latterbeing provided with a stem K projecting through the central opening .Fin the upper member or cup E and being also provided with an annularperipheral iiange L, thus practically forming a cup-shaped member whichis adapted to lit loosely within the cylindrical mouth portion of themember or inverted cup E. On the lower face of said valve J is a centralprojection M through which a central opening N is bored, the lattercommunicating through the lateral open- :ings O in the stem K with theinterior of member or cup-shaped valve J. Secured within the flange P,preferably shown integral with member D of the valve-casing, is a spiderQ having a central projection` or stud which is adapted to enter thecentral opening N in the projection M for obvious purposes.

In'the upper membei` C of the valve-casing is a lateral openingsurrounded by a threaded flange S in which a cup T is received, which isprovided with a central opening. Through the latter opening the plungerU, equipped at its outer end with a push-button or knob V, passes; afluid tight joint being effected in a well known man ner. -Said plungeris maintained normally at the outer limit of its movement by means of aspring WV. The inner end of plunger U engages one arm of a bell-cranklever X, which is preferably pivotally secured at its elbow portion toan upwardly extending arm on the cup E. The other arm of lever X takesinto a longitudinal slot on valve-stem K and serves to raise the valve Jfrom its seat when plunger U is pressed inwardly and lever X rocked. Theupper end of the valve-stem K is preferably7 reduced and threaded, toreceive the lower loop of a link Y which is connected at its other endwith the arm of a float Z in tank A; the float serves to open valve Jwhen the water in the tank rises above the usual high level. Theconnections between link Y and said valve-stem K and lioat arm arepreferably such as to permit float Zito drop without depressing valve Jg this is effected in any well-known manner.

The operation of my device is as follows: Upon applying pressure to thebutton or knob V the lever X will be swung thereby raising the valve Jfrom its seat. rlhe water rushes through the opening thus afforded andduring its passage through the valvecasing is deflected so as toconverge from all sides about the valve-seat I, which is preferablyslightly raised, and with the shape of the casing, causes the water tobecome more or less jammed and compel an upward pressure on the underside of valve J, thereby serving to support the latter in its raisedposition. The valve maintains this position until the tank A and theupper portion of the pipe B are drained and as the force of the flow ofwater decreases the valve slowly closes by gravity. In order to insurethe proper seating of the valve, which is preferably of light material,the opening E is provided in the upper member as described, so that asmall quantity of water will enter, after the valve begins to lower andthe open ing is uncovered, and flow onto valve J, thereby over-comingany possible tendency that member J might have to remain in its raisedposition. The water that enters onto the valve, either while the valveis on its seater through opening E after the valve begins to descendtoward its seat, will drain through openings O and N while the member orvalve J is olf its seat andvbefore projection R enters opening N. Theprojection or stud R, taking into the opening N, as shown in Fig. l,prevents leakage through the openings while the valve is on its seat.

l have shown and described a preferred construction embodying myinvention, but this construction may be varied in some minor detailswithout departing from the Spirit of my invention, and I do not wish tobe understood as limiting myself to the exact construction shown anddescribed, but

lVhat l claim and wish to secure by Letters Patent is z- 1. Thecombination with a source of supply of water, and a discharge pipe, of avalve-casing interposed between the ends of said pipe, a valve-seat atthe delivery end of said casing, a valve seating thereon, a hooddisposed over said valve and adapted to receive the latter when itleaves its seat, said valve having a flat lower face,` and hand operatedmeans above said valve seat and operatively engaging said valve to movethe same from its seat, said valve being maintained off its seat by thepressure of flowing water on the lower face thereof.

2. In a flushing apparatus, a source of water supply, a discharge pipeprovided with a valve-seat, a valve cupped to receive water and adaptedto reciprocate above said seat, a conical hood located above the valvewhereby the water is deflected to the sides of the valve, said hoodbeing adapted to receive the valve when it is raised from its seat, saidhood having an opening for the admission of water into the cuppedportion of said valve after the valve has partially descended, andmanually operative means for lifting the valve from its seat.

3. The combination with a flush tank and an outlet pipe therefor, of avalve casing interposed in said pipe, a valve-seat at the delivery endof said valve-casing, a valve seating thereon, a cylindrical flange onsaid valve, a hood supported between the ends of said casing andcentrally thereof and receiving the cylindrical flange of the valve whenthe latter is raised, a push rod, and a bell crank connected with saidrod and operatively engaging said valve to raise the same, the wall ofsaid casing converging toward said valve seat and serving to deflect theflow of water and have it impinge upon the lower face of said valve tomaintain the latter in its raised position.

4. The combination with a flush tank and an outlet pipe therefrom, of avalve-casing interposed between the ends of said pipe, said valve-casingbeing substantially semispherical at its delivery end portion andprovided with a valve-seat, a valve seating thereon, a conical hoodsupported between the ends of said casing and receiving said valvejwhenraised from its seat, a stem on said valve passing through anropening inthe hood, and hand operated means operatively engaging said valve-stemabove said hood to raise the valve from its seat, the flowing waterserving to maintain said valve g in its raised position.

5. The combination with a flush tank and an outlet pipe therefrom, ot avalve-casing interposed between the ends ot said pipe, said valve-casingbeing substantially semispherical at its delivery end portion andprovided with a valvceseat, a valve seating thereon, a peripheral liangeon said valve, a conical hood supported between the ends otl said casingand receiving the flange ot said valve when the latter is raised t'romits seat, a stem on said valve passing through an opening in said hood,and hand operated means operatively engaging said valve-stem within saidcasing to raise the same from its seat, the flowing water serving tomaintain said valve in its raised position.

G. The combination with a Hush tank and an outlet pipe therefrom, ot avalve-casing interposed between the ends ot' said pipe, saidvalve-casing being substantially semispherical at its d-elivery endportion and provided with a concentric valve-seat, a valve seatingthereon, a peripheral flange on said valve and cylindrical at its freeend, a hood supported between the ends of said casing and receiving thecylindrical portion of the tlange when the valve is raised from itsseat, a stem on said valve adapted to take through said hood, and handoperated .means operatively engaging said valve-stein within said casingand above said hood to raise the valve :troni its seat, the flowingwater serving to maintain said valve in its raised position.

7. The combination with a tlush tank and an outlet pipe therefrom, ot avalve-casing interposed between the ends of said pipe, said valvescasingbeing substantially semispherical at its delivery end portion andprovided with a concentric valve-seat, a valve seating thereon, a hoodsupported between the ends oi said casing and receiving said valve whenraised from its seat. a stem on said valve taking through said hood, abell-crank lever pivotally supported at its elbow portion within saidcasing and engaging said valve-stem, a plunger projecting through thewall of the casing and adapted to engage said lever to oscillatethelatter, and a spring operatively engaging' said plunger to maintain thelatter normally at the outer limit of its movement, said plungei servingto raise the valve from its seat, the valve being maintained in raisedposition by the liowing water.

8. The combination with a `flush tank and an outlet pipe therefrom, of avalve-casing interposed between the ends of said pipe, said valve-casingbeing substantially semispherical at its delivery end portion andprovided with a concentric valve-seat, a

valve seating thereon, a hood supported between the ends of said casingand receiving the valve when raised from its seat, a stem on said valvepassing through said hood, a lever pivotally mounted in said tank andcarrying a float at its free end, connection between the lever and saidvalve-stem for limiting the upward movement of said lever relatively tosaid valve, and hand operated means operatively engaging said valvestemto raise the valve from its seat, the flowing water serving to maintainsaid valve to .its raised position.

9. In a flushing apparatus, a source ot' water supply, a discharge-pipeprovided with a ii'alveecasing having a valve-seat at its lower end, avalve reciprocally mounted in said casing, a conical hood located abovethe valve whereby the discharged water is detlected to the sides oi'lthe valve, said hood heilig adapted to receive the valve when raisedfrom its seat and so formed as to permit a portion ot the water to enteronto the valve after the valve has reached a prede termined point in itsdescent and thereby insure the seating thereot` mechanism whereby saidwater in the valve will drain into the discharge-pipe below thevalve-seat, and a push rod and bell crank tor operating said valve.

l0. In a iiushing apparatus. a source of water supply` a dischargepipeprovided with a valve-casing having a valve-seat at its lower end. avalve reciprocally mounted in said casing and provided with a. passagetherethrough whereby the water on the valve mav be discharged, meanslocated above the Yalve whereby the discharge water is deflected to thesides ot the valve, said means heilig' adapted to receive the valve whenraised from its seat, means mounted below the valve-seat` whereby thepassage in the valve will be closed when the valve approaches its seat,and mechanism tor operating said valve.

ll. In a flushingl apparatus, a source oit' water supply, adischarge-pipe provided with a valve-seat, a valve reciprocally mountedabove said scat, a conical hood located above said valve. said valvewhen in its raised position adapted to set into said hood therebypermitting the discharged water to play against the under sides of thealve. said hood being provided with a port which is closed when thevalve is in its uppermost position but through which a suliicientquantity oi water passes when the valve begins to descend to insure theseating ot the valve, mechanism wherebv said water immediately above thevalve will drain into the dischargepipe below the valve-seat, and apush-rod for reciprocating said valve.

12. In a flushing apparatus, a source of water supply, a discharge-pipeprovided with a valve-seat, a valve reciprocally mounted above saidseat, a conical hood located above the valve whereby the dischargedWater is deflected to the sides ot' the valve and adapted to receive thevalve when raised from its seat, said hood being pro vided ivith a portwhich is closed When the valve is in its uppermost position but throughwhich a sutlicient quantity of Water passes when the valve begins todescend to insure the seating of the valve, mechanism whereby said Waterimmediately above the valve will drain into the discharge-pipe below thevalve-seat, and a push rod for reciprocating` said valve.

13. In a flushing apparatus, a source ot' Water supply, a discharge-pipeprovided with a valve-seat, a valve reciprocally mounted above said seatand having a drain age port, means located above the valve whereby thedischarged water is deflected to the sides ot the valve and adapted toreceive the valve When raised from its seat, said means being providedwith a port which is closed when the valve is in its uppermost positionbut through ivhich a sutlicient quantity of water may pass when thevalve begins to descend to force the valve to its seat, the pipeadjacent to the valve-seat being so formed as to impinge the out-oivingWater against the bottom of the valve While it is raised from its seatto maintain it in its raised position, a closure t'or the drainageportoi` said valve vvlien in lowered position and mechanism whereby thevalve is reciprocated.

14. In a flushing apparatus, a source ot water supply, a discharge-pipeprovided with a valve-seat, a cup-shaped valve reciprocally mountedabove said seat, an inverted cup-shaped member located above the valve,adapted to receive the valve When raised from its seatand to deflect theWater to the sides of the valve, said member being provided With a portwhich is closed by the valve when the latter is in its upper-mostposition but open for the passage of a quantity of Water into the valveWhen the lat-ter begins to descend, the valve being provided Withopenings through Which the Water in the valve will dra-in into thedischarge-pipe beneath the valve, means for closing the valve-openingswhen the valve is on its seat, and mechanism :tor operating said valve.

l5. A flushing apparatus comprising a source of ivater supply, adischarge pipe leading therefrom and provided with a valve-seatintermediate of its ends, a valve reciprocallv mounted in said pipeabove the seat, a conical hood whereby the discharged Water is deflectedto the sides of the valve, the relation between the valve and pipeadjacent to the valve-seat being such as to impinge the out-flowingWater against the lower surface of the valve When it is raised from itsseat and maintain it in its raised position, and means for operatingsaid valve manually, in combination with mechanism for reciprocatingsaid valve when the Water supply exceeds a predetermined quantity.V

VILLIAM SYDNEY GRAHAM.

Vitnesses F. C. PERKINS, A. D. SANDERS, Jr.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. C.

